Youth Programs

The Smithsonian offers fun and challenging (and sometimes mind-blowing!) experiences for K-12 kids interested in science, nature, technology, art , design, history, culture, or all of the above. These programs build confidence and skills of self-expression, communication, leadership, and provide college and career preparation, in extraordinary museum environments.

The Smithsonian Secretary’s Youth Advisory Council (SSYAC) was created by our current Secretary, Dr. David Skorton. It provides a direct line for youthful perspectives to Smithsonian leadership, through in-person and virtual meetings, with SSYAC members serving all Smithsonian youth by representing their ideas and concerns. Teen members receive special tours at Smithsonian museums, and gain invaluable life and leadership experience, in collaborative dialogue with other youth and the Smithsonian Secretary.Ages 16-18, high school juniors and seniors

Explore the world of natural history science in a fun and interactive way in these after school programs! Learn from museum scientists and educators, gain natural history science and tech skills, and visit exclusive behind-the-scenes areas of the museum.Grades 9-12

YES! is a 12-week career immersion and science communication program for Washington, D.C., region high school students. Gain practical experience through a hands-on internship with Smithsonian science staff, take exclusive behind-the-scenes tours and field trips, attend creative studio workshops, participate in a college preparatory program and create a community outreach project about their science experience.Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors

Youth Engagement through Science (YES!) is a career immersion and science communication internship for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors from high schools in the Washington, D.C., region. Working side-by-side with Smithsonian science staff and researchers, the YES! program familiarizes local youth with science resources, and can help them achieve the goal of attending college.Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors

Teen Council is a group of 12 creative and dedicated high school students who help make our museums more welcoming and engaging for young people. The Teen Council plans and hosts events that invite D.C.-area teens to hang out and have fun, make art, and build an incredible community together at the museum.Ages 13-19

Teen Museum Council is an intensive year-long program for D.C. Metro area teens who would like a role making teen programs at the Portrait Gallery! Throughout the academic year, TMC members work on a variety of activities for other DC-area teens, such as creating a teen art exhibition, organizing a teen night out, collaborating on social media projects, initiating a video project, or offering a special teen-led tour of the Portrait Gallery. Come help us make history!Ages 14-18

The Teen Ambassadors is the National Museum of African Art’s signature teen program. It's an opportunity for teens in the D.C. metro area with an interest in the arts, culture and history of Africa to learn to serve as frontline interpreters at the museum. Our Teen Ambassadors serve as storytellers and meaning-makers in the Museum environment, providing programming to a wide variety of visitors.

The Smithsonian is the first-ever museum complex to host Pepper, a humanoid robot, who is capable of recognizing human emotions and adapting to behaviors in response to one-on-one interactions. The objective of this program is to create an in depth repertoire of Pepper interactions for the Smithsonian Visitor Center Pepper. Teens will select topics and research interesting stories or objects in the Smithsonian’s collections. Using what they found, they will compose dialog that will be showcased in Pepper throughout the year in the Castle. During this program, teens will learn how to use and program a Pepper while honing skills such as research, content creation, and creative writing. This is a six month program spanning from April-August.Ages 15-18

The Cooper Hewitt Scholars Program is a 5-semester intensive design experience that includes portfolio development, professional skill-building, out-of-state college trips, studio visits, paid internship placements, and other substantial opportunities for teens preparing for college and careers in design. Sophomore scholars attend a week-long design camp, while juniors and seniors are placed in paid summer design internships.High School Sophomores

The Young Ambassadors Program (YAP) is a national program for graduating high school seniors, fostering the next generation of Latino leaders in the arts, sciences, and humanities via the Smithsonian Institution and its resources. Students with an interest in and commitment to the arts, sciences, and humanities as it pertains to Latino communities and cultures are selected to travel to Washington, D.C., for a week-long seminar at the Smithsonian.Graduating high school seniors

This program at the National Air and Space Museum is for students interested in aviation, astronomy, and space exploration who enjoy interacting with people. Conduct a variety of educational activities with Museum visitors: hands-on discovery stations, telescopes at the Public Observatory, story time with young children, and Welcome Desk. Work 2 days each week, and presents a simple research project about an artifact at the Museum.16+ years-old; primarily high school and college students

Are you interested in science? Do you like talking to people? Are you a teen? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you might be a good fit for the all-teen volunteer squad—the Q?Crew Program at the National Museum of Natural History.Grades 9-11

The NASM Explainers Program hires high school and college students to help visitors better understand the Museum’s collection, making person-to-person connections with our iconic artifacts and stories about the science and technology that make innovation possible. Explainers work at either the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., or at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.16 years and older

Workshops

The Hirshhorn‘s ARTLAB+ is a radically inclusive digital arts program for teens, providing a safe space to develop creative professional skills and new communities of young artists. Join production teams and workshops, hangout, explore, tinker. Choose projects using professional video and photo gear, music and recording equipment, video games and graphic design resources. A staff of artist mentors serves teens after school, year round. Ages 13-19

Do you have fun taking photos? Do you like portraiture? Want to say more about who you are? Looking at famous people and portraits, using cameras, and more, you will create a unique portrait during this 4-day workshop. What will your portrait say about YOU? The National Portrait Gallery's IMAGINE=IMAGE program uses the power of portraiture to prompt young people to closely examine themselves—who they are and who they aspire to be.Ages 13 to 15

Camps

The Youth Teaching Assistant (YTA) Program for Smithsonian Summer Camp provides an extraordinary way for teens to get involved with the Smithsonian while earning community service credits. YTAs are introduced to the world of teaching while supporting Summer Camp instructors. YTAs befriend, help, and act as role models to young campers. A wide range of programs offer YTAs the opportunity to experience and learn about new subject areas or increase and share their understanding of a more familiar subject such as art, science, or theater. This volunteer position is available on a weekly basis June-August when Summer Camp is in session. Smithsonian Summer Camp takes place on the National Mall in the S. Dillon Ripley Center, unless otherwise stated.Ages 15 and older

There's no more exciting place to spend the summer than Summer Camp at the Smithsonian. Where else can campers blast into space or take center stage, create a masterpiece or invent a fantasy world, relive history or learn to shape the future of the planet? The rich and exciting world of the Smithsonian Summer Camp program offers plenty of great fun and experiences that spark the imagination!Entering Kindergarten through 9th grade

Is your child a designer, tinkerer, or creative thinker? Cooper Hewitt Design Camp (NYC) offers kids week-long immersion in the latest advances in design, with the opportunity for each child to solve real-life design challenges with guest designers who share problem-solving strategies. Campers receive special access to the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collections.Ages 7-12

Young Learners

Looking to make science come to life for your young animal lover? Friends of the National Zoo runs weekly classes for children ages 2-13. Bring your toddler to learn about a new animal friend each week or enrich your homeschooler’s science curriculum with our unique 5-week class series. All classes include age-appropriate hands-on activities and explorations, craft projects, and walks through the Zoo. Ages 2-13